The idea of imposing the tougher standards here was endorsed recently by most members of a task force that included government officials, environmentalists and representatives of some of the state’s largest businesses.

The bill will likely face a vigorous fight from the auto industry, which claims the California rules are really an illegal, if indirect, attempt to impose tougher fuel-mileage standards.

Supported by everybody but the auto industry. Who coulda guessed it?

In addition to Washington’s laudable effort, recent news reports reveal that Maine, Connecticut, and Rhode Island are either passing or considering similar measures.

UPDATE: Hastily written and misleading — in a blog post no less! First, the proposed Washington measure has to do with auto emissions, obviously. And the “similar” measures in other states are similar only in that they address auto emissions — they are not the same thing as the global-warming-focused effort in Cali, but rather Cali’s more modest (though still controversial and opposed by automakers) “Clean Car Program,” which is about hydrocarbons and smog. Mea culpa.

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